The present invention relates generally to flintlock muzzleloading rifles, and more particularly to a novel method and apparatus for cleaning the longitudinal bore of a flintlock muzzleloading rifle.
The history of flintlock muzzleloading rifles indicates that they originated in the middle 1600's and were widely used for the next two centuries without substantial changes in their general features. Their collection and use by contemporary hobbiests for both competitive shooting exhibitions and display has sustained interest in preserving such rifles. In the use of a flintlock muzzleloading rifle, the cock, which generally corresponds to the hammer as employed in percussion-lock rifles, has a pair of jaws for holding a flint which is caused to strike the frizzen throwing it back and dropping a shower of sparks into the underlying pan which contains a priming powder. The ignited primer acts through a passage in the barrel, termed the touchhole, to ignite the primary charge and propel projectile or "shot" previously inserted into the muzzle end of the barrel bore. After numerous shots have been fired, a residue or fouling is built up on the surface of the bore which requires cleaning to prevent possible malfunction to the rifle. This problem is particularly prevalent when using black powder as the primary charge.
The conventional method for cleaning the barrel bore of a flintlock muzzleloading rifle involves flushing of the bore with warm water to remove the fouling buildup. The water and flushed fouling is discharged from the touchhole in the breech end of the barrel. In this process, the barrel must be removed from the rifle stock in order to prevent the stock from becoming soaked and thereby discolored and damaged. Removal of the barrel from the stock does not present a particularly significant problem when the stock extends approximately one-half or less of the length of the barrel. However, for muzzleloading rifles having long slender stocks which extend substantially the full length of the barrel, removal of the barrel subjects the fragile stock to possible damage and/or breakage. In addition, removal of the barrel from the stock is time consuming. As a consequence, it is highly desirable that the barrel and stock of a flintlok muzzleloading rifle remain in assembled relation during cleaning. Thus, a need exists for an improved method and apparatus for cleaning the bore of a flintlock muzzleloading rifle which do not require removal of the barrel from the stock and which are relatively simple in construction and procedure.